Bibliotheca Alexandrina

The Royal Library of Alexandria, or Ancient Library of Alexandria, in Alexandria, Egypt, was a large and significant great library of the ancient world. Named after Alexander the Great, it flourished under the patronage of the Ptolemaic dynasty and functioned as a major center of scholarship from its construction in the third century B.C. until its destruction in 48 B.C. around the time of Rome's conquest of Egypt. Alexander, although picking the site and planning the general layout of the city, died before he could take part in the construction of the library or academy that was created in his name

When in Alexandria, you have to visit the new library building: it is the largest reading space in the world, including over 2000 chairs for potential readers.

The futuristic disc-like structure was opened in 2002.The whole building is covered in scripts and letters from almost all the languages of the world to reflect the multi-cultural heritage and spirit of the library. The library will eventually house more than 8 million books.

A traditional visit of the Library starts in the main hall where you’ll be offered the assistance of multi-lingual guides (Arabic, English, French, Italian, and Spanish).

The library houses 4 permanent museums dedicated to Antiquities, Manuscripts, the former Egyptian President Sadat, and History of Science. A remarkable feature of the library is CULTURAMA, an interactive display of Egypt’s cultural heritage: 9 huge computer screens are arranged in a semi-circular shape thus creating a display resembling the traditional war or history panoramas. Thanks to the interactivity of the screens, the presenter can explore 5000 year long timeline; when specific items and milestones are clicked on by the presenter, the exhibition displays a further level of data.

Address: Alexandrian Corniche, Chatby

Opening Hours:

- Sat-Thu: 11 am - 7 pm - Fri: 3 pm - 7 pm